You may remember last week’s article about how schools are failing to engage with kids in ICT lessons. Well one school in Scotland is embracing the world of cutting edge technology in education and has bought every one of its 106 pupils an iPad. Pupils at the Cedars School of Excellence in Inverclyde will be using the iPads in lessons for a diverse array of subjects – everything from watching science experiments and plays on Youtube, to studying English, maths, history and languages on pre-approved websites.

The project has so far been very successful according to the school’s IT teacher, Fraser Speirs. He reckons that about 90% of parents have supported the use of iPads in classrooms and that the kids are loving their new gadgets. However, for many this is still a controversial move for the small independent school with concerns over costs and worries about touch screens replacing the more traditional pen and paper. Could this reflect a widening gap between access to technology at private and state schools? Although the introduction of iPads into the classroom may represent a new way of learning, it is simply out of reach for many state schools.

However, this does represent a golden opportunity for the developers of educational websites and games to become a part of this new digital world of learning, especially as more schools are likely to adopt this approach.

All I can say is “Lucky kids!” and refrain from grumbling, “Why, in my day….”